Nitefox

Ok here's the scoop

I just got back into hunting with a rifle *been using my bow, however, opening day i made a 435 yd. shot on a nice 8 pt. with my friends 270and for some reason or another that distance shot got my blood rushing more than a 20 yd shot with my bow* so im looking to pick up a new rifle.

I am an 18 yr old from Texas *senior in highschool* I mainly hunt in south Texas for Whitetail and wildhogs however i hope to travel to a friends ranch in Canada and harvest an Elk and some other animals up there. Looking for the best caliber for accomplishing these tasks. I'm looking to spend approximatly 700 or less on the rifle alone so if you have any other suggestions for rifles for me to look at that i passed on then please let me know.

Delimma #1:
Caliber - .270, 7mm *all variations* what are the differences in the variations in 7mm's?

Delimma #2:
Company - I have narrowed it down to 3 different companys and the styles im interested in from each company:
Remington SPS - Very affordable, been reading lots of good things about them
Ruger - Allweather, and the Sporter
Browning - Abolt Composite Stalker

This is my first post so i hope this was fairly well put together and if these questions are already answered in a sticky somewhere i apologize for this thread

bhensley

Have you thought about savage? They are very accurate guns an are affordable. Heres a link to give you an idea of the pricing. I have the Savage .270 but it doesn't have the accu-trigger and I love it. Got it new last February with a Simmons 3-9X40 scope for $399. Just another idea for ya.
Brandon

http://www.savagearms.com/111fxp3.htm

Nitefox

I'll check those out

Josh Sorensen

I would probably go with the Remington SPS or Ruger of the two you have chosen. They can all be very good guns but the browning will be the most expensive of the three. Between the 270 and 7mm I would stick to the 7mm for the bigger stuff like elk. Another choice you might look at would be the good old 30/06. It will do anything either the 270 or 7mm's will do just as well. Don't skimp on your optics. I'd rather get a cheaper rifle and more expensive scope than the other way around. The Remington SPS and a good leupold 3-9 are about as good as it gets.

Other calibers to look at, 300 WSM or WM, very versatile rounds but with a bit more recoil.

shepdogwv

I have to agree with Josh, I'd go with the ol' Rem. SPS (or a CDL/BDL if you don't mind spending the money) and get a good Burris or Leupold scope. As far as caliber, if elk hunting is a reality I'd go with the 06 or the 7mm Mag.

Nitefox

Which variation of the 7mm should i go for?

7mm-08
7mm Rem Mag

what others are there?

how are they different?

BrutalAttack

The best choice I can think of is a Remington 700 SPS in 270 WSM.

I strongly urge you to look closely at the WSM series of cartridges. Probably the crown jewel is the 270 WSM. I think it's a superb whitetail cartridge and an great choice for elk as well.

It has gobs of retained energy at 400 yards(over 1900 ft/lbs) and shoots very flat dropping only -5 inches at 300 yards and -15 inches at 400 yards.

shepdogwv

The 7mm-08 is the least powerful and the 7mm Mag is the most powerful.
The .280 is also a 7mm bullet and it is between the two and based on a 30-06 case. The .280 Remington would be a good compromise between power and ease of shooting. The only problem is ammo availibility in stores like the Wal-Marts. If I were mainly deer hunting I would go with the .280 or the 30-06 with the 06 probably getting the nod slightly for elk hunting and ammo availibility(i've had uncles and cousin take quite a few w/ an 06).

Now I have a 7mm-08 and it's been puttin the whitetails down here in WV, but from what more knowledgeable people tell me (as I have yet to make it out west) I should probably take my 06 if I go that way.

BrutalAttack

Ditto on the .280. It's a superb round for deer and elk. It will also outperform the 30-06 with the right load and shoot flatter.

Here is a chart that will compare loads between the 270 WSM, 7mm Rem mag and 7mm-08.

As you will see the 270 WSM spanks them both pretty well in all aspects.

http://www.remington.com/products/ammunition/ballistics/comparative_ballistics_results.aspx?data=PRA270WSM B*PRSC7MMB*PRA7M08RB

handloader1

Remington Model 700 SPS 7mm Rem. Mag. Good luck.